Russian Party

The Russian Party was an informal grouping of early Greek leaders who represented more conservative elements in Greek society and was more supportive of the Orthodox Christian church in Greek life. The party was named for its support for the Russian Empire, whose representatives in Greece supported Ioannis Capodistrias becoming the leader of the newly independent Greek state in 1827. Capodistrias' efforts at centralization led to his political opponents forming the French Party and the English Party, and the rivalries led to the assassination of Capodistrias. In 1833, Otto of Bavaria was invited to become King of Greece, ending the civil war between the parties and leading to the replacement of the Greek republic with an absolute monarchy. The Russian Party enjoyed privileged access to the Church, the state machinery, military leaders, and Peloponnesian political families, as well as common people who wanted a strong centralized government to crush the pro-English Party shipping magnates and the rest of the business class. The Russian Party merged into the Nationalist Party of Greece in 1875.